M.D.R.A. Report

M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
M.D.R.A. Report
Volume 8, Number 4
©J. Ritz 2005
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Page 2
July / August 2005
Cover: Bob Utley’s Sandhawk, bets Fred
Schumacher’s Nasty Habit off the pad..
Photo by John Ritz.
Editor’s Corner:
email: robertu16@verizon.net
Editor Robert Utley
Summers over, the fat lady has
sung, the cows are home, school buses are
on the road, corn is getting cut. So that
means only one thing, Price here we come.
That’s right, we will be moving out to the big
field next month (October). We are
expecting a big crowd for the first launch
and why not, were else can you fly big
projects during the summer.
More good news, we have been
trying to get our membership to help run the
launch and it’s working, I want everyone to
pat themselves on the back. We have all
kinds of help for RSO, LCO and Pad
Managing. We have tons of help setting up
and taking down. To help some of you that
might not be sure what needs to be done we
have been making training tapes that should
be up on our web site soon. There’s who do
you pay for launch fees or membership.
What to do when you’re ready to fly a rocket,
and how to use our pads. In the next month
we should have the duties of an RSO and
Pad Manager up too.
Dave Olson who is keeping up with
the web pages is doing a bang out job, but
we need help id’ing some of the rocket
pictures. It’s great we get them but what use
are they if you don’t know who’s they are?
So take a look at ESL 87 and 88 and let
Dave know whose rocket is whose if you
know. You would think the owner would
want everyone to know. But then there’s
thinking.
Ok last item, but it’s important, want
to be a babe magnetic, have everyone come
to you at the launch and be known around
the rocket world as the MAN… Then sign up
to run for the BOD of MDRA, of course Dave
Weber will be running also, so good luck,
but times running out, you have till the end
of September.
So on to the newsletter and seeing
your name in print….
M.D.R.A. Report
Federation of Galaxy
Explorers
2005 Cansat Summer Camp
By Ivan Galysh
This was the third year for the
Cansat Summer Camp and the largest with
fourteen students. The camp was held at
Westfield High School in Chantilly, VA as
part of the Federation of Galaxy Explorers
summer program (www.foge.org) From June
27 to July 1. The Cansat Summer Camp
teaches students about satellites, what
makes up a satellite, how they are built and
tested, and how they are put into orbit. The
camp is very interactive with many hands-on
activities. Students are grouped into pairs
and work together to assemble and program
a small satellite that fits into a soda can.
Students also build high powered rockets to
launch the cansats and a vacuum chamber
to test the cansat.
Students working on cansats in the
classroom
The cansat is a kit with the basic
elements of a satellite. The cansat bus
consists of the structure, a 9 volt battery for
power, a microcontroller as the data
handling unit, a transmitter module for
telemetry communications, and a parachute
for attitude control. The payload is a sensor
board consisting of an atmospheric pressure
sensor and a temperature sensor. All of the
components are installed in a soda can.
The rocket is a Loc/Precision Forte
kit slightly modified to support deploying a
cansat. It stands about four feet tall and is
three inches in diameter and weighs about
2.6 pounds fully loaded. This year, the
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
rockets were launched on a high powered
H144 Loki Research composite motor with
about 53 pounds of thrust.
Student rockets.
On Monday, the class started with a
discussion about the process of designing
and building a satellite. The discussion
covered topics such as trade off studies,
documentation processes, design reviews,
and the management of many organizations
and people. Testing of the satellite was
discussed including a slide presentation of
various types of test facilities. The next topic
was on orbital dynamics which covered the
orbital elements and the different types of
orbits. The students simulated different
orbits using the STK software. A few
students tried to figure out how many
satellite orbits they could simulate
simultaneously. In the afternoon, the class
started building the Forte rocket.
Tuesday, the students built the
cansat structure and mounted all the
electronic modules. They learned the
purpose of each module and how it worked.
They then started to learn how to program
the data handling unit using a BASIC
language. In the afternoon, the students
continued building the rockets.
Students completing
their rockets
construction
of
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On Wednesday, the students started
working with the sensor module. They
learned how to write software to extract data
from the sensors. The students worked
together to build two vacuum chambers
using PVC plumbing material. The rockets
were completed in the afternoon.
The students learned about satellite
communications on Thursday. They learned
how to write software to send telemetry
using the cansat transmitter. They spent
over an hour experimenting with the
transmitter and sending all kinds of short
messages. The ground station was
connected to a projector so all the students
can see their messages being received.
They eventually modified their software to
send the sensor data.
Friday was spent at the Udvar-Hazy
Aerospace Museum near Dulles Airport. The
students were given a scavenger hunt
assignment. Some of the students
completed the hunt. The rest just ran amok
in the museum.
Ground station for collecting telemetry
from the cansats
The launch was held at the Central
Sod Farm in Centreville, MD on July 10. The
Maryland Delaware Rocketry Association
sponsored and supported the cansat launch.
The Warpinski family provided access to
their field. The club provided the launch
equipment and personnel support. Neil
McGilvray, club secretary, ran the launch.
Fred Wallace, board member, prepared the
rocket motors and installed them into the
student’s rockets. Keith Soldavin, club
member, helped some of the students fix
their rockets and install rail buttons. There
may have been others who helped during
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July / August 2005
the day. Twelve of the fourteen students
made it to the launch. Family members also
came. Praxis Corporation provided food and
drinks for the students and families.
A red canopy was set up for the
cansat ground station. The ground station
consisted of a laptop computer, a radio, and
an antenna. One student of the cansat team
operated the computer and collected the
data. Another student held the antenna and
pointed to it toward the cansat while it was in
the air. The rest of the students tried to
keep a visual track of the cansat and the
rocket as they floated back to earth on a
parachute.
M.D.R.A. Report
The data collected by the cansats
were air pressure and temperature. The
temperature data did not change which
indicated the temperature was pretty much
the same up to 2400 feet. The students took
the air pressure data and calculated the
altitude.
Katie operating the ground station.
Students trying to locate a cansat after
deployment at 2400 feet
The first launch was a little rough.
The cansat parachute became tangled at
deployment and had a quick return to earth,
but data was collected throughout the whole
flight. The rocket that carried the cansat did
manage to land on top of some trees.
Adjusting the launch angle and parachute
packing method, the rest of the flights had
better recovery. Most flights did get a
complete collection of data. On one flight,
the cansat stopped operating at deployment.
When recovered, the battery was dislodged
and disconnected. The motors have a black
powder ejection charge that is quite strong
and exert strong shock forces on the
cansats. All the cansats were deployed at
about 2400 feet. They came down on 12
inch parachutes which provided a quick
decent that was needed to avoid landing in
trees. After the seven cansat launches, the
rest of the students had the opportunity to fly
their rockets on smaller motors. Only one
landed in the trees and was lost.
The students and families had a
great time at the launch. They enjoyed all
the other launches that occurred. Some
wanted to come back to the next launch and
fly again. Thanks to the club for their
support. Thanks goes to the land owner for
allowing the club to fly on such a nice field.
Thanks to Fred Wallace for preparing and
cleaning the motors and helping the kids
install the motors. Thanks to Keith Soldavin
for helping the kids get their rockets ready.
And a big thanks to the unknown gentleman
who took the long pole and pulled the first
cansat rocket out of the trees. The student
was quite ecstatic to see his
rocket
returned. He was given a coupler and an
airframe to fix the rocket. It will fly again.
Cansat kit after a hard landing.
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
ESL 87
Centerville, MD
7/09-7/10
By Neil McGilvray
What a weekend! ESL 87 was one
of those launches that on its face appeared
laid back and mellow. Underneath the calm
exterior was frenzy of activity. When you
have been doing it as long as MDRA, it can
look easy from the outside. However, none
of effort that takes precedes a launch
happens in a vacuum or is it accomplished
by one person. The closer you get to driving
forces the reality of what needs to happen to
make it look easy becomes very clear. On
this launch the MDRA BOD made a
concerted effort to enlist more of that rare
and valuable commodity that makes MDRA
what it is, Volunteer Effort. Phone calls were
made, e-mails went out and the results
spoke for them selves. People put in an
extra hour or so to help run “THEIR” launch.
By all accounts we didn’t loose anyone or
even suffered a lack of launching. Speaking
for the BOD, we thank you and the other
fliers that are still coming up through the
ranks thank you for making this launch run
so smooth.
Many of us have been involved in
different clubs that rely entirely on the efforts
of their members to keep a nostril above
water. (I made a comment like this to a
former boss when he asked me how the job
was going. I told him I was keeping one
nostril above water. He told me to get a
snorkel!) Personally I would prefer to see all
the MDRA members in the same boat
rowing in the same direction. MDRA has
changed the culture of how a launch is run
by safely combining commercial and EX
motors at the same launch. We safely
combine monster projects with ¼ A flights
and everything in between. Our next step is
to make member participation the norm
rather that the exception. To those that
assisted in running the launch stay on
course, an hour or two is all we are looking
for. For those of you that didn’t get a chance
to help, volunteer, ask what you can do. The
work is easy and fun. You get to meet the
other members of the best club in the
country, help them with their projects like
they help you and you have a good time.
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We were also able to upgrade the
White Travel Trailer to make access to rods,
rails and other long equipment. A four tube
storage system was installed on the left wall,
port for you nautical types. This will help
make life easier as MDRA continues to
expand and fine tune our needs. Thanks to
those who helped out, you know who you
are. It’s this type of quite, behind the scenes
activity that most folks don’t see that keeps
MDRA ahead of most rocket clubs. Down
the road we are looking at upgrading the BCell pads and making them all the same.
This will give us continuity across the board
and make use of the equipment easy for all
the members. We are slowly eliminating the
myriad
of
pads
and
operational
requirements for each. We will soon have
standard designs to all operate the same.
This will take the guess work out of it and
make everyone’s launch day that more
efficient.
Saturday, July 9th, was very warm,
sunny day without a cloud in the sky. While
that sounds like perfect flying weather the
bright blue Maryland sky has a way of
making even big rockets disappear at about
2500 feet. One thing is for sure, it beats
launching on the frozen tundra of Higgs
Farm in January! I’ll take this any day of the
week. Hal Aquafresca launched his Kenny
rocket on an F-20 and didn’t kill it so we’ll
see Hal again I am sure. Ernesto and Carlos
Batenga, who are recent participants in the
MDRA
assisted
“Raising
Hispanic
Awareness In Engineering” project at Capitol
College this past June were on hand to
combine for thirteen rockets in the D to F
range. It appears that they have caught the
fever, welcome to rocketry guys. Leroy
Bonawitz put in more mails changing igniters
on his rocket called Grifter than he did
recovering it. The E-15 didn’t want to
cooperate and leave the pad with the rocket.
At one point LeRoy just threw the rocket into
the air to inspire to fly.
Bill Brown got in a couple of nice
flights. Bill had is BBX in the air powered by
an H-50 and his Due for Extinction cranking
on a K-600. Bill Cann had his finely finished
Patriot flying on an H-125. Bill must be doing
something right as the rocket looks as good
after multiple flights as did the day he built it.
David, Joe and Tom Castner combined for
seven flights on a variety of motor and
combinations. They flew a Big Bertha on a
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July / August 2005
D-12, Tom I on a G-64, Big Red on a G-104,
Red I on an H-238, Lightning Bolt twice on a
cluster of two E-9’s, and their Big Daddy on
a cluster of one D-12 and three C-5’s. This
made for very eventful day for the Castner
Clan. Jim and Chris Cox teamed up for their
I-405 powered Ariel. All went well and Jim
didn’t even have to go tree fishing after the
flight.
M.D.R.A. Report
hoped and Joe can begin digging deeper
into he pockets now that his power horizons
have been expanded. Congratulations Joe!
Brandon and Justine Hardin combined for
fourteen flights in the C and D range. Phil
Kaishman got five C powered birds into the
sky on Saturday. Rob Lilley had three
rockets zooming upward. He finally got his
rocket with auxiliary whistles to make some
noise with the C motor powered flight. For
some reason the F didn’t make the rocket
sing. Alan Narocki flew his D powered
Asprie.
©J. Ritz 2005
Curt Newport’s Proteus II
©P. Tomeo 2005
Joe Castner's Big Daddy
Glenn Davis put up a couple of
screaming flights with his Gold Member II on
K-450 power and his Drunk Bob No Pants
on an I-400. I am detecting a theme here
with Glenn’s rocket names, am I alone here?
I guess you have to call them something.
Ron Follweiler had a neck cracking flight
with his E-28 powered light weight rocket he
calls Big Fred. Angelica and Rob Freimayer
combined for five flights. The launched the
very impressive high power, high drag Earth
Cone on a G-35, Fat Boy on a D-13, Big
Brute on a G-79, Silver Comet on a E-18
and their Mosquito on a F-40.
Joe Hagan had a very productive
day flying his Tethys for his Level I
certification flight on an H-165 and then
celebrating with the same rocket powered
with an I-405. Both flights performed as
Curt Newport had de-ja-vu all over
again. Curt got to fly his Proteus II on an H143 again. What makes this amazing is that
the rocket was lost at Great Meadows where
he did a demo flight for the 2004 TARC
event. The rocket was hopelessly lost and
given up for gone. Curt is no stranger to
preserving and not giving up. His efforts
finally paid off when the rocket was found
almost a year after the “lost flight”. This time
the rocket went home with Curt. He also flew
his Nereus, a rocket name that the LCO can
pronounce without butchering too much.
Nereus was powered by a BMW K-1100 for
a high flight and a good recovery. This
rocket, like Proteus II went home with Curt.
Some day’s it does pay to get out of bed and
make it to a launch. Nicolette Olson and her
friend Becky joined forces to fly six rockets.
They flew their Fat Boy, Gemini, Duplicator,
Express, Texas Rattler and Purple People
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
Eater in the A to C range. Liam Outten had
A-8’s moving his Terminator skyward. Adam
Pearson had the same massive power plant
pushing his Star Glider.
©J. Ritz 2005
John Ritz Static test H motor
John Ritz spent a good part of his
day trying to learn something. John was
doing static tests on H and I motors. A
casual observation might indicate that John
was attempting to concoct a motor that had
the minimum amount of thrust possible for
the total impulse of his different designs.
The LCO could overhear the comments from
some of the spectators, an 8 year old to be
specific, saying “Not another birthday
candle”
when
johns
motors
were
announced. Josh Schumacher launched
Overkill II four times on F-20’s. Even though
it was a relatively heavy rocket it constantly
out performed many other similarly powered
and sized rockets by hundreds of feet.
Page 7
Dave Sharp certified Level I on this
warm and sunny day. Dave’s rocket of
choice was his ¼ scale Patriot which did the
trick perfectly. Two flights were turned in on
this rocket to make Dave one happy
camper, congratulations! Phil Tomeo had
been waiting for this day for some time. This
was Level III certification day, one of the
most memorable days in a rocketeer’s
career. Phil’s rocket was a 10” diameter
Polecat Aerospace Nike Smoke. The rocket
was named Liquid Smoke, probably for
some future mis-adventure Phil has
planned. The rocket was about 60 pounds
on the pad which made it sizable for the Sod
Farm. The power plant was an M-1419 and
that in it self was sure to turn some heads
and generate some smiles. Like the song
goes, Phil got a “little help from his friends”
to get this project in the air. That is part of
what makes rocketry great, there are always
lots of people to help you get the rocket
prepped and on the pad.
©P. Tomeo 2005
Phil Tomeo Liquid Smoke L3
©J. Ritz 2005
Josh Schumacher Overkill 2
I have to wonder where all those newly
acquired close friends is when it is time to
recover the beast or pull it out of a tree. The
rocket roared off the pad to the delight of
Phil and all in attendance. It seemed to keep
going for ever. The Sod Farm has a way of
making thing look much higher than they
actually are due to the close proximity of the
trees. The Nike Smoke can over the top and
got suspended under drogue as planned
and the mains were deployed perfectly
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July / August 2005
putting all the pieces back on the ground a
little further away than planned, but all in
tact. Congratulations Phil, way to go! Phil
celebrated his success with an H-144 boost
of his 4” Amraam. This flight was somewhat
underpowered compared to the big Nike
Smoke, but did the trick.
M.D.R.A. Report
Norwood Truitt flew his Endeavor
Cam rocket on a K-300 to gather some more
great shots of the Sod farm and the
surrounding country side. Check out the
ESL photo gallery to see what you rocket
sees ever time we press the button. Bob
Utley did some motor testing of a slower,
long burning formulation that should be good
for warming our hands when the weather
turns cold. Justine and Ryan Vreeland had
some fun with their four D and C powered
flights. Jacob Weaver got four A and B
powered flights under his belt. Ben Williams
flew his Alpha Black Knight on an A-8.
©N. Truitt 2005
Norwood Truitt Endeavor Cam rocket
©P. Tomeo 2005
Jim Williams Warlock L1
©N. Truitt 2005
Norwood Truitt Endeavor Cam rocket
picture of the Sod Farm
Jim Williams was nervous as a long
tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, and
with good reason. He was getting lots of
MDRA help prepping his Level I attempt
Warlock rocket that was to fly on an I-405.
Jim followed the construction directions from
LOC to the letter, right down to installing the
“underwear elastic band” webbing. (Authors
note: when ever you buy a rocket kit that
has “underwear elastic band” webbing,
throw it in the trash and get some Kevlar or
tubular nylon from the vendor. You have two
choices, throw the “underwear elastic band”
webbing in the trash or your entire rocket will
end up there.) Jim’s flight went perfectly.
The motor lit, the rocket screamed off the
pad, the parachute deployed perfectly and
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
the Underwear elastic band webbing broke.
The rocket cam in ballistic, lost a fin but was
in decent shape…considering. Jim didn’t get
his Level I on this day but vowed to be back
on Sunday to try again.
Sunday’s weather was a mirror
image of Saturday’s, the same but different.
Warm and sunny all day long. This was the
weather that the Federation of Galaxy
Explorers ordered for their Can Sat
Competition. MDRA Member and resident
Hybrid Expert, Ivan Galysh headed up this
overwhelming successful effort. Due to all
the rockets being flown under Ivan’s name
the reader will need to refer to Ivan’s article
to share in the success of this project. The
nice weather brought Dave Alewine out to fly
a couple of his rockets. Dave put up his
rocket called Team America, which was
featured the 2005 TARC launch. The motor
of choice this time was a J-400. Dave also
let his Magnum rip on a K-650. Ernesto
Batenga bust off his Initiator twice on F-20’s.
Joshua Bates had his Space Ship One flying
three times on B and C power. Reed
Bjornvedt flew his Nova on a B-6.
Page 9
recoveries were successful and we’ll see
these detailed birds blast off again. Kevin “I’ll
try and get there by 4:00 in the afternoon”
Clarkston had lots of motors to burn and
only a couple of rockets to fly them in. Kevin
flew his Renegade on a combination of three
C-11’s and a central E-9, Glazier 1 flew on a
combination of two H-275’s and Alice went
to the moon on a measly I-200. JJ Coakley
flew the Red Ninja on a D-12 and the Pinkie
Twinkie on a B-6. Jim Cox busted off his
rocket called Mixed Parts on an I-100 for an
impressive flight and recovery.
©D. Jarkey 2005
Death throws of PAC III
©J. Ritz 2005
Bill Cann Honest John
Bill Brown threw caution and his
rocket to the wind with the flight of his Due
For Extinction on a K-600. With a name like
this you have to wonder when it will become
a self fulfilling prophecy. Bill Cann got in
three nice scale flights. Two with his Honest
John on H-73 and H-123 power. Bill also put
up his Patriot on an H-125. All the flights and
Glenn Davis had some good mojo
working, but where there is good the bad is
not far behind. Glenn had the good stuff
happening on the flights of D.B.N.P. on an I400 and Gold Member II powered by a K375. The bad stuff reared its ugly head on
the final flight of Glenn’s PAC III. The K-485
motor decided the propellant would like it
better if it burned through the top of the case
and over pressurize the air frame. The
results were spectacular with the complete
incineration of the lower booster section. I
guess this was Glenn’s turn in the barrel.
Judging by the line it looks like he may have
found himself a home. Alex Deschenes put
together quite an involved two stage project
he called Unimatrix Zero. The rocket flew
perfectly on a J-350 booster and an H-50
sustainer. Alex wanted to show everyone
that you can fly high at the Sod Farm and
still get it back. With all the Can Sat activity
you would think Ivan Galysh would be
ground bound. Think again, Ivan got off his
Hybrid J-317 powered Arcas for a very nice
flight.
Page 10
July / August 2005
©D. Jarkey 2005
Alex Deschenes Unimatrix Zero
Jonathan Hegner got in seven
flights in the B to D range. Richard Hickok
flew his La Cross on a C-6, Harm on a D-12,
Red Eye and GBU-28 on F-21’s, and his
Archer on an H-128. David Jarkey flew a
bunch of unique “odd rocs”. David flew his
Aimless object on a G-77, Heavy Duty
Beauty on a combination of four D-11’s and
a G-79 and his Stovi on a G-64. David also
impressed the crowd with his lampshade 2.0
on a G-64. You have to wonder what the
next piece of furniture David will show up
with a motor in it. Andy Jones flew his Super
Bee on a B-6. Carlos Khaisman had his
Strong arm pushing up on F-20 power three
different times. Mike McBurnett blasted off
his Barbequed Weasel on an F-50. Neil
McGilvray launched his Amraam in search
of a second elusive Mach Madness win with
J-600 power. It was not to be this time. The
Maximum Velocity of 519 feet / second was
only good enough for second place. Mike
McKeon busted off his Magnum on an I-161
for a signature Aerotech display of white
smoke and fire.
The Millers who included Garrett,
Miranda, Paul and Zack combined for 13
flights ranging from B-6’s to G-80’s. You
have got to like those apples! William
Moulden got in two 1-8 flights on his Hawk
and Red Bomb. Alan Nawrocki got in a full
day of flying with five flights. Alan launched
his Rising Star three times on two F-20’s
and an E-30, Pinkie on a D-12 and
Starchaser on two C-6’s.
John Nelson had a big day certifying
Level One! John flew his Black Brant on an
H-73 and you know the rest of the story
since he got it. Great flight and recovery,
congratulations John! Jerry O’Sullivan
M.D.R.A. Report
busted off his High-5 on a K-450 for a high
altitude fun flight. Kyle Priddy had as much
fun as Jerry with his A-8 powered flight of
his rocket called Bandit 2000. As long as
there is fire and smoke coming out of the
back of anything moving into the air there
will be smiles all around. Chris Reilly
conjured up a spell with his D-12 powered
Black Magic.
John Ritz got to experience the thrill
of victory and the agony of defeat on this
warm and sunny day. John didn’t even have
to fall off a ski jump to make it happen; all he
had to do is put a rocket on the pad and let
the button get pushed. Mother Nature took
care of the rest. John flew his Falcon on a J300 for a very successful flight and recover.
John also flew his Iris. Like the Falcon the J800 launch was arrow straight but the wind
at the higher altitudes conspired against
John and his remarkable well painted rocket
and put it in the trees.
©J. Ritz 2005
John Ritz’s MIA Falcon
The worse of all possible options since he
didn’t find it. There is nothing worse than
losing a rocket as many of us know. The
rocket, casing, electronics, parachute, the
time, the effort, gone for ever. I would rather
crash one and get something back so at
least there is closer on your earthly
possession. Ron Roberts flew twice with
some motors made right from momma’s
kitchen cabinets. Rob whipped up a G-150
for his Little Nuke that sent the rocket
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
screaming from the pad. Rob also flew his
“In Drag” powered by a J-641 to win the ESL
87 Mach Madness Challenge. The
maximum velocity on the winning flight was
650 feet/second. The beauty of the
challenge so far is that we have had winning
motor combinations from across the board.
There have been AP-EX winners, Sugar-EX
winners as well as commercial winners. For
those that want to give it a go, jump in the
pool…the water is fine!
Page 11
had four mighty A-8 flights. Tyler will be
climbing the motor ladder one rung at a
time!
David Smith had three satisfying
launches. David launched all of his flights
with E-9 power. They were his Rhap-Viking
twice and Echo-Alpha. Ross Sorci got
featured in a MDRA training tape with his
AQM-37 on H-144 power. Ross also flew his
Black Brant on a G-80 and his I-405
powered Caliver +. Everything came back
so Ross went home a happy camper. Joe
Sorrentino had some neck cracking fun with
his Phoenix on a G-64 and his Aura on an F40. Dick Stafford who is one that never shies
away from crazy looking flying contraptions
and equally humorous names didn’t
disappoint the MDRA faithful at this launch.
Dick flew his Birdhouse (yes, it’s really a
birdhouse), on an F-52 for a successful
flight. Dick later flew another version of the
Birdhouse with a combination of six D-12’s
with less success.
©J. Ritz 2005
Drag race, who won
©D. Jarkey 2005
Zack Rosenthal launched his Cruise
Missile on a B-6, V-2 on a D-12 and Red,
Black and Yellow on an E-9. Wes Rudy was
in a big hurry to go nowhere with his H-244
powered rocket he called “Just Launch The
Damm Thing” Josh Schumacher continued
to empty his fathers wallet with two more F209 flights in Overkill 2. George Seachrist,
let me write that again, George Seachrist
(who hasn’t spent enough time on the rocket
range chasing down bits and pieces of his
rockets lately) launched his Initiator on a G35. Isn’t this the same guy that shredded his
Level III attempt on an N-2000? I thought so,
come on George do it again! Keith Seldavin
cranked off his nice Carbon Fiber rocket on
a J-300 for a classic flight. Lienne Sethna
flew the Red Manic on a D-12. Tyler Sisk
Dick Stafford Bird house, Ross AQM-37
on the left
Considering all the potential ejection
charges Dick had, none of them worked.
Also considering this was an afternoon flight
the rocket almost left a lasting impression on
the roof of the perennially late Jerry
O’Sullivan's van. The early bird gets the
worm and doesn’t almost get bonked by the
bird house. Dick also flew his always
entertaining Hat of Death on a D-9, Vlad the
Impaler on a G-111 and his Great Googly
Moogly on a J-1001. Bill Stehl got into the
MDRA fun with his Pencil rocket called Sky
Writer and his Rubicon (X-Prize Contender, I
think not) on a D-12.
Page 12
July / August 2005
Fred Wallace launched his Military
Justice on a J-528. With military precision
the rocket leap off the pad and was
recovered in perfect condition. Nelson
Wallace launched his rocket called SR-71
Black Bird, which Nelson’s rocket bared zero
resemblance to, on a J-228. This was an
attempt for the Mach Madness Challenge.
The rocket was launched from a tower in a
vain attempt to minimize drag while in flight.
The rocket was recovered in less that
favorable conditions and unfortunately the
altimeter failed to provide a down load to the
Mach Madness Judges. That is one of the
few rules; we need the data from the
altimeter. Make sure you have your set up
properly before the flight. Dennis Waiter
likes lots of fins on his rockets. Dennis
certified Level One on his Amraam. The
successful flight was pushed into the clear
blue Maryland sky with an H-242. Dennis
celebrated his success with the same the
same motor in a Talon. Extra fins on the
front, extra fins on the back, just give Dennis
fins. Maybe Dennis is a Jimmy Buffet fan
and likes his song “Fins”. Eric Waiter and
Tyler Wiater combined for eleven flights,
(this one goes to 11). They flew everything
from C-6’s to G-104’s.
M.D.R.A. Report
Jim Williams had an A-8 motor flown
under his name and then got down to
business. The freshly repaired Warlock was
dressed for battle and ready to rock. Jim
would not be denied his Level One on this I405 powered flight. The short stubby rocket
blasted off the pad and flew right up the
chimney to finally deploy the main right on
cue. Congratulations Jim, way to go! Emilio,
Ricky and Susan Yslas combined for four
flights in the A to D range for some A rack
family fun.
As always, MDRA owes a debt of
gratitude to the Warpinski’s who are nice
enough to allow the members of MDRA and
our guests to fly at the Sod farm. I can’t
begin to tell you the number if people, both
old members and first timers that come up to
me and comment on the beauty of the Sod
Farm, the family atmosphere and the
professional set and the overall quality of the
launch. All you have to do is spend some
time visiting other launch sites to see what
MDRA has to offer. The entire spectrum
from safety, reliability, competency and just
a good time is covered at an MDRA launch.
This doesn’t happen by accident. There is a
ton of behind the scenes work that makes
this all look easy. One of the biggest factors
that make it look easier is that at each and
every launch the participation of the MDRA
members keeps increasing.
©J. Ritz 2005
That MDRA Family atmosphere
©J. Ritz 2005
A rack action, drag race
MDRA is about breaking down the
old paradigms and working outside of the
box. We are about changing the culture that
plagues most volunteer organizations. The
only people who don’t like the change are
the ones that never want to help. Those that
do want to help, but never knew how to get
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
involved, have found the door open and
work load light. Remember this is your club,
not just the few that traditionally ran things.
Other subtle changes are dropping the
requirement that a Pad manager or an RSO
be Level II or above. We have come to
realize that there are many qualified folks in
the club that simply don’t want to fly big
rockets and don’t have the need to certify at
the higher levels. That doesn’t make them
any less qualified to fulfill the tasks at hand.
For those who have stepped up, welcome
aboard. For those that remain, come on
down together we will make this work safely
and successfully.
Until the next launch fly high and
recover low.
ESL #88
Centerville, MD
8/6-8/7
By Neil McGilvray
ESL 88 was held on the MDRA
summer field owned by the Central Sod
Farm. The great relationship that we
maintain with the Warpinski’s and the care
that the MDRA members take on the
property is one of the main reasons we are
invited back launch after launch and tear
after year. When you treat the property
better than you treat your own, that is a big
step in the right direction to getting a return
invitation. Many of you might remember
when we didn’t have a summer field and
how long it seemed to make those hot
months. MDRA as a group and as
individuals owes the Warpinskis’s a huge
debt of gratitude for the use of their land to
bring our families and educational groups
together for the safe and fun filled
afternoons we cherish so much.
The weekends launch was like
many of the previous launches at the
Central Sod Farm. Beautiful weather, minus
a two hour rain delay on Sunday (but it’s the
Eastern Shore), and comraderery of new
and old friends. We were even graced by
MDRA founding member Dave Bullies for
both Saturday and Sunday. Once you get
smoke in your eyes and grease under your
fingernails it is tough to stay away from the
hobby you promote and love. Welcome back
Dave, we have carried on the tradition that
Page 13
©D. Olson 2005
Dave
Bullis,
Rob
Taylor,
Fred
Schumacher and Bob Utley
you started so many years ago, “Keeping
the pointy end up and the firery end down.”
I don’t even know where to begin on this
report, talk about the family that flies
together, well burns lots of motors. The
Andraka family of Diane, Nick, Nicole, Sean
and Zack combined for 33 flights! That has
got to some sort of record. The biggest
motor they flew was an E and there was
only one flown in Nick’s Red Max. Most of
the flights were A’s in the boost gliders that
the Andraka’s are become famous for flying
and documenting on the web. Keep up the
good work guys and gals, if you’re putting
motors in them I am pushing buttons.
©P. Tomeo 2005
Zack Andraka Green Machine and the
rest of the Andraka rockets
Page 14
July / August 2005
Bill Brown cranked off his Due For
Extinction on an “ACME” K-600 for a high
flying demonstration of how to put your baby
back on the soft grass. Don Brown
diversified his flying machines somewhat at
this launch Don flew his Boost Glide Ecee
Thunder on an E-9, Arcas on a G-35 and for
the smoke and fire show Don blasted off his
V-2 on I-218 power. Lisa Coker didn’t want
to walk too far for recovery due to the heat
so she opted for flying her Blackie and
Storm Chaser on D-12’s. The father and son
combo of Jim and Chris Cox teamed up for
the launch of their stretched Ariel on an I405 for a crowd pleasing flight. Glenn Davis
had a very busy day with four flights. Two of
the flights were on his Odd Roc Twirl-N-Ator.
M.D.R.A. Report
winner of Mach Madness with a Maximum
Velocity of 678 feet/second at .75 seconds
into the burn. Now that is moving and goes
to show that small motors in the right rocket
can be competitive. Congratulations Glenn,
they will be gunning for you at the next
launch.
Ron Follweiler had a couple of “let’s
see what happens when I” flights on his SB
One. Ron wanted see how it flew on
different motor configurations. It flew on an
F-52 and a G-79. I think Ron found out
something that has been known at MDRA
for a long time, bigger is better! Rob
Freimeyer was into dragging at this launch
and it wasn’t challenging other rockets or
what he was wearing, but aerodynamic
drag. Rob was flying saucers. One was on a
D-13 for fun and the second flight earned
him a Level One Certification. The rocket
was launched and recovered so it could fly
again on an H-123. It the words of our
esteemed MDRA founder Dave Bullis,
“Works for me”. Peter Galasso had some
fun flying with his E-9 propelled Executioner,
Big Daddy and his F-21 powered Onyx.
©P. Tomeo 2005
Don Brown’s V2
This design had the aerodynamics of a
sponge, but this MDRA and it did pass the
RSO so the button was pushed flew on aE18 and an F-20. Glenn also flew his Gold
Member II on an “ACME” K-375 for a nice
flight and recovery. The one he will be
talking about though was his winning Mach
Madness attempt. The sad commentary is
he didn’t even make the rocket. He bought it
from Bill Brown…oh…I wasn’t suppose to
say anything? Too late! The small H-220
powered Bull Pup called “Mach This” did
leave its mark. It was the first H powered
©P. Tomeo 2005
Neil McGilvray’s Boring Sidney rocket
Richard Hickock watched as his B-4
powered A-10 Warthog boost glider almost
sailed over the horizon, twice! Richard also
did the conventional rocket thing with his D-
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
12 boosted HARM and F-21 powered Red
Eye. John Kowal kept bring back the rocket
he calls Yellow Jacket 3 times to be
launched on a D-12 and E-9’s. Jessica Lee
made full use of the Kathy Gilliand
maintained and operated “Box-O-Rockets”.
Jessica got in six flights in the B to D range.
Page 15
flew it on a K-500 and a K-530. We’ll have to
go to the video tape to see if we can tell the
difference between the two motors. Rob
Roberts, the ESL 87 Mach Madness winner,
wanted a bigger slice of the pie and was
back at it again. Rob likes the sugar coated
formulations and has had some great
success from the kitchen cupboards. Rob
flew is rocket called In Drag on a both an I490 and a J-400 for his mach Madness
attempts. In Drag on the I-490 netted Rob a
maximum velocity of 506 feet / second and
the J-400 bagged him third place with a
maximum velocity of 545 feet / second. Rob
also had a fun flight with his Un-Ez-I on a I160. Chuck and Wes Rudy had one of the
lower power flights the day, yet it had to be
the most impressive. The father and son
team flew their Mono-Copter on a G-10. The
motor seemed to burn forever as it lofted the
Mono-Copter into a hover at about 100 feet
above the field. It was like the “Little Train
That Could” as is just kept huffing and
puffing twirling the blade for uncounted
revolutions. Great job guys, now you need to
be thinking about an L-20 fro a future flight.
David Sharp flew his CO2 powered A class
Ju-ju-bee for a “don’t blink” flight.
©P. Tomeo 2005
The Flash, one of many Box-O-Rockets
Michael Mangieri had four different flights
challenging him. Michael flew his Scorpion
on a D-12, Z7 on a D-12 staging to a C-11
and Black Brant X on an F-40. The most
challenging and satisfying launch had to be
the Level I certification flight on his Ariel
boosted by an H-123. Neil McGilvray flew
what turned out to be his Sod Farm rocket
for this year. In the words of Johnny Rotten
to Sid Vicious, “Boring Sidney!” Yes once
again it was the black Amraam flying on
another J-650-ish motor in yet another failed
attempt to win Mach Madness. The flight
and recovery went as planned, but there
were other guys moving their hardware
through the lower atmosphere faster than
the J motor could push the Amraam. The
flight was about the same as the last attempt
with a maximum velocity of just under 523
feet / second. This was enough to earn the
Amraam fourth place.
John Ritz was working his Falcon
twice with virtually the same motors. John
©P. Tomeo 2005
Nelson Wallace Bruiser
Brain Wadsley flew his F-50
powered Endeavor. Sometimes our rockets
like to have a mind of their own and do a
little sight seeing, no matter how well we
think we are planning their flight. . All Brian’s
Page 16
July / August 2005
rocket is seeing now are bottoms of corn
stalks. Nelson Wallace flew is Endeavor on
an H-144 and got it back. Nelson also
wowed the crowd with his successful flight of
his Bruiser XP. The rocket was boosted by a
K-1000 sparky motor that made a statement
in sound and visual effects as it roared off
the pad. The main deployed just as Nelson
had planned and the Bruiser will fly again.
Dave Weber is approaching another mile
stone with his Toober Rocket, (I think he has
as many spellings as flights), this was flight
193. Flight 200 is right around the corner
and I hear that Dave is buying the beer to
celebrate, (after the launch). Dave also
teamed up with Lynn Reamy with her rocket
called Hail To The Skins. Something went
terribly wrong with this flight as it acted very
un-Skin-eusqe by actually working as
designed and planned. Maybe Coach Joe
Gibbs should be taking some lessons from
Lynn?
M.D.R.A. Report
straight up the rail and into the sky. At
apogee things got interesting, the plastic tab
on the nose cone let loose and dumped the
nose cone canceling out what would have
been a perfect flight. The good news is that
there is always tomorrow. Gerry Willis had
some fun with his Max Trax on a C-6 while
son T.J. finally found the secret to launching
those pesky hard to light E-9’s in his Ninja.
Steve Woods launched four times in the B,
C and D range. Future MDRA President
Nate Woods, age 6, launched his Rock On
with mighty C-6 power.
©J. Ritz 2005
Hours after a down pour on Sunday
©J. Ritz 2005
Lynn Reamy Hail to the Skins
Jim Williams had his Warlock back
in action for his L-2 attempt on Loki J-528
power. There is nothing like seeing a larger
diameter rocket like the Warlock just tear off
the pad. They seem to be moving much
faster than they really are due to their size.
This was no exception. The rocket ran
Sunday showed us once again what
a day on the eastern Shore can be weather
wise. In a word, diverse! The day started out
warm and sunny only to dissolve into
monsoon like conditions for about an hour
around noon and then return to a warm and
beautiful day. If you like change, fly with
MDRA, you’ll get it. Dave Bullis and Ricky
Brown teamed up for a flight on the rocket
they called Am-Opps. This beast was flown
on an H-242 successfully for a perfect
apogee recovery. Bill Cann had his nicely
painted and constructed Honest John ready
for its flight on an H-73. The rocket flew
stable and true. Kevin Clarkston flew his
rocket called Alice twice on I-200 power.
Lisa Coker put the red and yellow “Want
Fries With That?” on the pad twice for
successful launches and recoveries. The
first launch was powered by a G-79 and the
second was boosted by an H-180. And Lisa,
to answer your question, yes and up size it
with a Coke. Glenn Coleman flew his
Skywinder on a C-6. Jim Cox busted off his
IO on a G-79. Glenn Davis Got lots of push
behind his Gold Member II on ACME K-525
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
power. Glenn also was playing with Drunk
Bob No Pants for the rest of the day. DBNP
zoomed to the heavens on I-400 and J-454
power.
Mike deBey had to get while the
getting was good when he flew his Big Ugly
on a J-600 for a very satisfying flight. This
didn’t end Mikes launching for the day
however. Mike was assisting his two sons
Zack and Nick with their combined flight log
of eight A, B and C powered flights. Alex
Deschenes joined the Mach Madness crowd
with his entry called Clown of Fear. The
smiling one was boosted with a J-820 for a
neck cracking flight. Unfortunately it ended
up in the northern woods, which required
most of Alex’s day to retrieve the rocket.
Page 17
the business end of his Tomahawk and Pit
Bull. Pete later became known as that
Denison of the Deep, Aquaman, as he flew
his Onyx on a G-79 perfectly except for that
little recovery issue of landing it in the pond.
Check out the website to see what I am
referring to.
©J. Weber 2005
Mike deBey with Zack and Nick
©J. Weber 2005
Mike deBey’s Big Ugly
Once back that the range head Alex
nervously waited the results of the ARTS
download. The Clown of Fear clocked in at
589 feet second which was good enough for
second place. Not a bad showing for Alex’s
first mach Madness attempt. Pete Galasso
managed four flights before and after the
untimely rain storm. Pete flew his
Executioner on a D-24 and had H-180’s in
Kathy Gilliand took some time away
from the registration table to do what she
signs people up for. She actually got to fly
some rockets. Kathy flew her Hot Flash, (I
thought they were power surges), on an A-8
and her Pink Comet on a D-12. As long as
there is fire coming out of somewhere other
than Bob’s breath, Kathy is a Happy
Camper. Todd Harrison blasted off one of
the premiere flights of the day with his 6”
diameter Little John on an L-1000. The
thrust to weight on this project optimizes
what HPR is all about. A fast flight, lots of
fire, lots of smoke, lots of noise and a
perfect recovery. Nice job Todd. David
Jarkey launched his Good Enough on a D13, No Name Yet on a cluster of two D-11’s
surrounding the central G-35 and his
Arreaux on a G-64 for a full day of smoke
and fire. Mike McBurnett was slumming with
his Onyx 3 boosted on four D-12’s.
Wes Oleszewski AKA Dr. Zooch
was visiting MDRA for more flight testing of
his new products. This day we got to see
some new Dr. Zooch products, his Stick
(SDLV) was launched on a C-6, SA-1 on an
E-9 and the Crown Jewel in the Dr. Zooch
inventory the Space Shuttle on a C-6. This
rocket included an extended “Liquid Fuel
Tank” minus the foam problem. The
extension housed a Rocket Vision Camera
which transmitted a signal to the Base Unit
that in turn sent the signal to a camcorder.
The results can be viewed on the MDRA
Page 18
July / August 2005
Website and should bring a smile to even
the hardest Shuttle critic. Jerry O’Sullivan
and Bill Schworer, a couple that are no
strangers to home video, put together a nice
demonstration of a higher power ATV set
up. This system was installed on Jerry’s
Concept 98 that was powered by a K-700.
M.D.R.A. Report
Bob Utley is the Judge, talk about the
“chickens watching the hen house”. Both of
these two former upstanding racketeers
engaged in the first Mach Madness Drag
Race. Both participants paid their Mach
Madness fees and had their rockets
RSO’ed. Miraculously both rockets passed
and were allowed out to the flight line. The
normal droning LCO announcements were
made describing every painful detail of the
rockets and what the flights represented,
(imagine this report being read to you). Bob
Utley was flying his Sandhawk and Fred
Schumacher was flying his rocket he calls
Nasty Habit. The button was finally pushed
and Bob’s rocket leapt off the pad. Fred’s
rocket stuttered and stalled at the line before
releasing the clutch. Both rockets reached
for the sky on a long trail of BMW white
smoke.
©J. Weber 2005
Jerry O’Sullivan’s Terrier Smoke
The video can be viewed at Jerry’s website,
(he never sends us anything worth
posting..:-) ) Jerry also launched the biggest
rocket of the launch with his Terrier Smoke
powered by a lovely pink L-1200 motor that
accented the fluorescent green fins of his
mighty rocket marvelously. Speaking of
Fashion Plates, John Ritz launched his
Minnie KC on a long burning I-300. As
usual, John got the job done and brought
the rocket back alive. Ben Russell spent the
day prepping his Endeavor that would
successfully fly on a K-250. The motor went
on forever and had every neck cracking to
see this flight disappear in the thick
atmosphere.
Fred Schumacher and Bob Utley
were bad boys trying to pull as “fast one” on
the Mach Madness Judge. Wait a minute
©J. Weber 2005
Bad Boys of MDRA drag race
It wasn’t until after the rockets return and
they disassembled the motors and exposed
the electronics for down loading a minor yet
critical discrepancy was uncovered. Both
had tried to cheat their way to the top of the
Mach Madness ladder, instead of kicking
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
and clawing their way to the top like the rest
of the law abiding participants. The motors
that both Bob and Fred used turned out to
be K motors, not the Mach Madness Lite
limit of a J motor. The command decision
was made by the remaining honest, reliable
members of the MDRA BOD and
perpetrators were promptly disqualified and
their entry fees were locked away in the
secret MDRA Mach Madness Swiss Bank
Account. If it was any consolation the K
motors
performed
like
J
motors
extinguishing any hopes Bob and Fred had
of actually pulling off a win at Mach
Madness. We would like to thank John Ritz
and Glenn Davis for ratting out both Bob and
Fred and their devious plan. I know you
guys will sleep well at night.
Comanche on a D-12 to a C-6. Ross Sorci
got in a very nice flight of his H-144 powered
AQM-37 Jayhawk. There is something about
the big fins on this rocket that gets
everyone’s attention. Scott Tyrell put five
rockets into the air. Scott launched his Sky
Winder on a D-12, Blow By on an F-50,
Shred-A-Roc on a G-100, Beater on an H210 and his Standard Arm on an I-400. The
Standard Arm did what only could be
compared to a golfer’s hole in one. A picture
is worth a thousand words, so you will have
to visit the MDRA Web Site and see what I
am referring to. Justin, Ryan and Nick
Vreeland combined for six flights in the C
range. C’s or M’s, it doesn’t matter when it’s
your rocket. As long as there is fire and
smoke we have squinting eyes and smiling
faces at MDRA.
Dave Weber moved one step closer
to the next step with flight 194 of Toober.
The power plant for this venture into the wild
blue yonder was a G-75. And yes Mildred,
there will be a flight 195.
©S. Tyrell 2005
Rocket recovery 101
Chuck Sinclair did some flying and
singing in the rain. Chuck got in a launch of
his Scorpion on an F-24 before the early
afternoon cloud burst. The recovery
operation took place in the sudden, driving
rain. Well that rocket needed to be cleaned
anyhow. Chuck also flew his high flying SR71 on an F-24. The added nose weight
provided a straight shot. Nick Sinclair got in
two launches also. Nick flew his Lil’Nuke on
an E-23 and two of his three stages of his
Page 19
©J. Weber 2005
Flight 195 just starting.
Page 20
July / August 2005
The Wheelers combined for five flights. Bob
Wheeler flew his Big Daddy on an E-6, Mo
Wheeler launched Shroom on a C-6.
Sheehan Wheeler had some fun with The
De-Little Airshow on a B-4, Gemini Thunder
on a D-12 and the multi motor Little Wild
Thing on central C-6 and eight A-6’s. Talk
about stuffing the Christmas Turkey!
Jim Williams was back for round two
on the Level II attempt. Rested and relaxed
from the previous days lost nose cone
episode, Jim was ready to nail this one.
M.D.R.A. Report
programming.) Jim got the Warlock loaded
and ready for battle as the impending rains
approached. The rocket tore off the pad on
J-350 power for a perfect flight and
recovery. Funny what happens when you do
the right thing as opposed to the
manufacturers inferior recommendations.
You have to think that there is a might be a
method to their madness. Inferior materials
and recommendations leads to more failures
which lead to new purchases. The flyer must
have made the mistake, right? I don’t think
so. There are many resources at MDRA so if
you have questions please ask. We want
every flight to be a success, even Bob’s. Oh
by the way, congratulations Jim! Stop
getting me off on these tangents. Nate
Woods finished up the day with his launch of
Rock On once again on mighty C power.
©J. Ritz 2005
LCO, RSO and crowd
There was no way the nose cone would be
lost on this flight. The bad news was that the
first attempt ended in failure. The good new
is that some valuable lessons were learned.
When you are assembling stock kits, take a
good hard look at them and the assembly
directions. Most of the kits are good basic
designs and fly well. But and there is always
a “but”, the materials and components are
substandard. They might work for a while
but will fail. Remember where you are flying,
this is MDRA and we are known for pushing
the envelope. Make sure you fiberglass the
air frame and fins, secure both sides of the
centering rings, throw the underwear elastic
band “shock cord” in the trash. (On a
personal note, any manufacturer that
provides underwear “shock cord” with their
kits ought to have their head examined. This
practice is flat out unsafe. The biggest
liability we have when we fly occurs during
the recovery process. Do your self a favor, if
the materials look substandard ask some of
the other members what they do and what
materials they use. Upgrading will buy you
many more safe and satisfying flights. If it
looks wrong, it probably is. Enough of my
rant, now back to your scheduled
©J. Ritz 2005
The launch site
As the summer comes to a close
and we start thinking about the fall season,
many thanks go out to the folks who have
been stepping up to the plate and helping
run the launches. As MDRA continues to
grow and lead the way with what we put in
the air, we will continue to change the
culture how that happens. We do what we
do because of the support of our members.
You guys and gals like what we do and that
is why
you keep renewing your
memberships. That is why you see all good
press in the rocket forums when MDRA is
brought up. We are growing and this fall will
clearly show how big MDRA has become.
This past summer was an opportunity to get
our feet wet with a larger group of folks. The
lessons and experiences learned at the Sod
Farm will be a huge asset when we get back
to Higgs. MDRA’s continued growth and
success is in your hands, don’t drop it. Until
next time, fly high and recover low.
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
Bridge Bash
By Lynn Reamy
On July 14th MDRA was on hand to
help Kent Island’s newest contemporary
church, The Bridge, celebrate their last day
of Vacation Bible School.
The event,
dubbed as The First Annual Bridge Bash,
was held on the grounds of Mowbray Park
and was attended by over 250 children and
adults.
MDRA members Kathy Gilliand,
Bob Utley and Dave Olson came armed with
24 “A” powered rockets to excite the crowd.
The promise of “any child who recovers a
rocket gets to keep that rocket” created a
stampede of determined young faces
rushing to collect their prize at the sound of
each countdown.
At the end of the night there were
quite a few happy excited faces and
hopefully some future high powered flyers
were born.
(Ed: Note, MDRA would like to thank Hobby
Town of Fredrick Maryland for their help and
support at the Bridge Bash)
©D. Olson 2005
The Bridge Bash launch site
On the road
NERRF Launch, Middletown N.Y.
6/17- 6/19
By Neil McGilvray
NERRF, North East Regional
Rocket Festival, was just what the name
implies. It was a celebration of something
that MDRA members may have long taken
for granted, “Freedom To Fly”. The
organizers of NERRF took a page right out
Page 21
of the MDRA play book and showed the rest
of rocketry that commercial motors and
experimental motors can be flown safely
side by side. They were able to do this on
METRA’s huge Pine Island, N.Y. launch
field. The response and participation was so
great it will make LDRS 24 in Canada look
puny by comparison. They like to refer to
their
combined
launches
as
“Indy
Launches”; you have got to call them
something.
The effort to organize and run a
launch of this size required lots of help.
METRA, NEPRA, CTRA, CATO and LIARS
were all sponsoring and participating
organizations. These were just the main
guys and gals that pitched in. They also had
the Tri-State Radio Club, Westfall Fire
Department on hand to assist. There were
many rocket vendors and food vendors
there also, my favorite being “Jeanie’s
Weenies”. Over the course of the three days
there were well over 600 flights form over
150 registered fliers. This event was on the
scale of last years LDRS 23 held in
Geneseo, N.Y. The flights ran the gambit
from ¼ A’s to full M’s. It was good to see the
excitement in peoples faces at this launch.
Many had planned vacations and probably
some divorces around this launch. I am sure
all of those there were satisfied with the
results.
Myself and Jerry O’Sullivan made
the pilgrimage up to the N.Y. on Friday, 617-05. Jerry drove and his GPS got us there
so all I had do talk, like that was problem.
We arrived late in the day. The trip can be
anywhere between 5 and 7 hours depending
on traffic. Once there we found the day had
pretty much wrapped up and launching had
ceased. We found some long lost MDRA
members, Gene Costanza and Scotty
Raumberger and spent some time
“reminiscing” with them before heading off to
the hotel.
Saturday, 6-18-05 was warm and
sunny with little wind, a perfect day to fly
rockets. Over 270 were launched on
Saturday alone. Both Jerry and I had M
flights planned. Jerry had his 7.5” diameter
Sandhawk powered by a Bob Utley donated
BMW 8000ns White Motor as his project and
I had my yet un-flown
7.5” diameter
AGM12-C Bull Pup. This was going up on a
6000ns Big Boy Pants Blue motor. But first
things first, I had volunteered to do some
Page 22
July / August 2005
LCO’ing and was “surprised” by the setup at
they had to work with. Necessity is the
mother of invention and the NERRF guys
were able to splice together four different
launch systems and what amounted to two
P.A.’s. They were running two different
Club’s equipment, METRA’s and NEPRA’s.
Plus there were two different Estes or Low
Power Pads as Jim Flis reminded us. While
one side was loading the other side was
launching. This kept the lines to a minimum.
M.D.R.A. Report
button pushing time. The 25 grams of
thermite ensured an instant ignition and the
rocket jumped off the pad. You can check
out
Jerry’s
website
http://www.vahpr.com/nerrf2005.htm for the
pictures and video of the flight. One of the
amazing photos shows in dramatic fashion
what the loud popping noise is on many of
the EX motors we fire. There are photos of
the moment the casting grain is being spit
through the nozzle. This typically occurs
when you don’t epoxy the casting tube into
the liner tube. The motor ended up being
something like an M-5000 and burned in 1.7
seconds. The rocket went about 3600 feet.
One of the neat things about this flight was
the soon to be released ARTS GPS System.
It provides a perfect tract of the rocket and
was down linked and overlaid on an Expert
GPS photo of the field. The rocket did get
dragged on the ground and that made the
loose fins even looser.
Neil McGilvray’s Bull Pup with Jerry
O’Sullivan
While the system was confusing and
complicated, it served the purpose and we
were pushing buttons. I had taken for
granted the simplicity of the MDRA
approach to getting people on the field, set
up the rockets on the rails or rods, cards on
the clip board and start launching. This effort
took me running my mouth, another guy to
sort cards and press buttons, two pad
managers, one floating head pad manager
and another guy assigning pads and this is
all after the RSO folks. To their credit,
everyone busted their hump to keep things
moving and rockets in the air. While I was
loving life LCO’ing, Jerry was busy getting
the Sandhawk together.
There were MDRA members in
attendance. Jim Cox and his son Chris were
there. As was Alex Deschenes, Dennis
Lappert, Chuck and Wes Rudy, mark
Polansky, Ed Miller, Tim Wisley, Dan
Michaels, Darren Wright, Al Goncalves, Tim
Hetland, Mac Heller and his son Steve, Ed
Romanni, Phil Stein, Jay Sessler and
probably a boat load more that I am
forgetting. Jerry had his pick of the litter as
he headed out to the away cell to get his big
bird on the rack. After the usual away cell
traditions were followed to the letter it was
Jerry O’Sullivan’s Sandhawk
While Jerry was prepping and flying
his rocket I had finished my 4 hour stint at
the LCO and it was time to get my project
together. As the afternoon wore on and I
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
was trying to figure out the spider web of
lines that I needed to function in perfect
order there was a call from the LCO about a
fire in the field. I was just about ready to
head out to the away cell when the call went
out for lots of water and help. To the casual
observer the place they were running to was
the last place there should be a fire. It was in
the middle of the freshly tilled and dug field.
There was no grass in site for a couple of
hundred yards. The dirt at Pine Island burns.
That is mainly because it’s not real dirt, it’s
Peat. The fire would get underground and
pop up 10 to 20 yards away from the original
fire. There were stories of the land owner
digging down nine feet to put out past fires.
Better to err on the side of safety and the
launch was shut down for the rest of the day
so the “fire” could be monitored and make
sure that it was really out and not hiding
beneath the surface.
Page 23
would be a particular challenge for me as I
have never successfully recovered a rocket
with one of these, despite multiple attempts
in the past. The motor was supposed to be
an M-2000 and the guesstimated altitude
was 4,500 feet. Over 5,000 you need to call
the FAA for clearance and I didn’t want to
wait for that. After the usual and some
unusual away cell theatric it was time to
push the button. Announcements were
made, made again and made a third time
just to be sure and the button was pushed,
nothing. More announcements and button
pushing, still nothing. Pad Manager, John
Novalis rushed out to the pad to find the
radio control unit off and quickly corrected
the problem.
Neil’s Bull Pup in the drink
Recovery of Sandhawk
Sunday started cool and cloudy, low
clouds seemed to be the order of the day.
With a 1,000 foot cloud deck things would
have to improve big time for anything over a
J motor. Flights were limited by the cloud
deck as the day wore on. The clouds slowly
lifted about 1,000 feet per hour. By mid
afternoon we were looking at about 5,500
feet. I decide to go for it. The Bull Pup was
made by someone in Florida and bought by
Tim Hetland. After receiving it he wanted
nothing to do with this lead nose beast. I had
been looking at it for about six months when
I decided to buy it from him. Like all the
rockets I have bought in the past I wondered
what the hell the other guy was thinking.
Lots of changes later it was ready for its first
M powered flight and was to be recovered
with a Defy Gravity system that Bob Utley
graciously donated to me for this flight. This
Finally the rocket was launched on a
long blue tail of flame. Part one was in the
books, the motor worked. At apogee the Tim
Wisley donated drogue was deployed, part
two in the books. As the rocket got closer to
the ground, it was right over our heads, you
could hear the Defy Gravity fire and then
nothing. I have learned from bad
experience, but experience none the less
that when these things don’t let go right
away, you’re doomed. They get fat, dumb
and happy in their position and never pull
free. And so was the case once again,
batting 1000! The rocket looked like it was
moving fairly slow when it was high in the
sky. As it got closer it was really hauling ass
and heading for the trees. I thought this
might not be a bad option. The trees might
help break the fall and minimize the
inevitable damage. Not a chance, there is a
small river that runs through the launch field
that is surrounded by trees. The opening is
no more than 30 feet and the Bull Pup
threaded the needle like a pro and splashed
Page 24
July / August 2005
down right in the river. Luckily it was close to
the bank and with the help of Tim Hetland
and Al Goncalves, I was able to jump and
drag it out. The booster broke in half, but the
electronics were face up and never got wet.
I have to be more thankful for small
miracles. The final altitude was 4536 feet, so
at least I predicted something right.
The rest of the day was spent
cleaning up the mess, watching other people
fly and catching up with old friends. The
NERRF event was success on many levels
and it gives MDRA some new insight as to
what we do right and what we can do better.
It also shows the rocketry world that the
MDRA philosophy and application of
launching Commercial and Experimental
motors works and is safe. It was also
reassuring to hear all of the LCO
announcements calling out the fliers name
and home club. I quickly ran out of fingers
and toes to count the “MDRA’s”. That is a
credit to our club and all of out members.
This was just a little slice of Jerry’s and my
experience at NERRF. There are a hundred
more stories by every person there whether
they were flying A motors or M motors. They
beauty is that everyone there had the fever.
If you ever get a chance take a trip and visit
some of our sister launch sites. It helps keep
things in perspective.
Darren Wright,
Member.
TRA
newest
(All pictures were stolen from
O’Sullivan’s web site, Thanks Jerry.)
M.D.R.A. Report
New Product:
By Bob Utley
I’ve accepted that most folks know
me from my LDRS 23 Cato. In an effort to
expand my horizons what better way then a
DVD on early days of rocketry. Space Craft
Films has 19+ DVD sets of NASA Apollo,
Mercury, Gemini and X15.
Liftoff! (Success and failure on the
launch pad) has over 6 hours of video on a 2
DVD set. There is Robert Goddard footage
taken by his wife. Black and White footage
of Germany’s V-1 and V-2 during WW II, to
White Sands footage of captured V-2. This
is not randomly thrown together, it starts in
1926 and move on to the first Shuttle
launch. Don’t let me talk you into believing
that it’s only the Cato’s there are plenty of
successful launches as well.
Check
out
the
web
page
at
http://www.spacecraftfilm.com/. Priced
at
$34.99, but check out their other DVD sets
as well.
If you like watching the big stuff this
is for you, it’s about rockets, what’s not to
like. Two Nosecones up.
Board
Jerry
NEXT ISSUES:
- More words from Neil.
- Launch report of September & October
- Our day at Wallops.
- More New Products.
M.D.R.A.
Freedom to Fly
http://www.mdrocketry.org/
Copyright 2005 M.D.R.A./ M.T.R. #68
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
Page 25
Log July 9-10, 2005 ESL #87
Flyer
Acquatresca
Batanga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batenga
Batengo
Bonawitz
Brown
Brown
Cann
Castner
Castner
Castner
Castner
Castner
Castner
Casyner
Cox
Davis
Davis
Follweiler
Freimayer
Freimayer
Freimayer
Freimayer
Freimayer
Hagan
Hagan
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Hardin
Kaishman
Kaishman
Kaisman
Kaisman
Kaline
Khaisman
Lilley
Lilley
Lilley
Nawrocki
Newport
Newport
Nikki
Nikki
Nikki
Olson
Outten
Outten
Pearson
Hal
Ernesto
Carlos
Carlos
Carlos
Carlos
Carlos
Carlos
Carlos
Ernesto
Ernesto
Ernesto
Ernesto
Carlos
LeRoy
Bill
Bill
Bill
David
David
David
Joe
Thomas
Tom
Tom
Jim & Chris
Glenn
Glenn
Ron
Anjelica
Anjelica
Anjelica
Robert
Robert
Joe
Joe
Brandan
Brandan
Brandan
Branden
Brandon
Brandon
Brandon
Justin
Justin
Justin
Justin
Justin
Justin
Phil
Phil
Phil
Phil
Brandon
Onll
Rob
Rob
Rob
Alan
Curt
Curt
Becky &
Becky &
Becky &
Nicolette
Liam
Liam
Adam
Manufacturer
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Aerotech
Scratch
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Aerotech
Scratch
Aerotech
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
PML
PML
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
PML
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Art Applewhite
Scratch
Estes
NCR
Estes
PML
PML
Scratch
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Apogee
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Model
Kenny
L.I.S. 16
Strong Arm
Cry Baby
Initiator
Cry Baby
Ej Dreamer
Strong Arm
Cry Baby
Initiator
LISA 16
Initiator
LIS 16
Strong Arm
Grifkey
Due for Extinction
BBX
Patriot
Big Daddy
Lightining Bolt
Lightning Bolt
Red I
Big Bertha
Tom I
Big Red
Ariel
Gold Member II
Drunk Bob No Pants
Big Fred
Earth Cone
Mosquito
Silver Comet
Big Brute
Fat Boy
Tethys
Tethys
The Black Widow
Black Widow
The Black Widow
The Black Widow
Black Widow
Pringles
Big Daddy
Wood
USA
Path Finder
Litll' Baby
Little Moon
Black Magic
Big Bertha
White Lightining
Storm Caster
White Lightining
Path Finder
Strom Caster
Arrow
Mini
Mimi
Aspire
Nereus
Proteus II
Fat Boy
Gemini
Duplicator
Purple People Eater
Terminator
Terminator
Star Glider
Motors
Result
F20
D12
F20
C11
F20
D12
D12
F20
D12
F20
D12
F20
D12
F20
E15
K600
ex
H50
ex
H1125
"D12,C5,C5,C5"
"E9,E9"
"E9,E9"
H238
D12
G64
G104
I405
K450
ex
I400
ex
E28
G35
F40
E18
G79
D13
I405
H165
* Cert 1*
C6
C6
C6
E9
C6
E9
D12
B3
C6
D12
D12
A8
C6
C6
C5
"C6,C6"
C5
D12
"C5,C5"
E9
C11
F12
D12
K1100
ex
H143
ex
C6
C6
B6
A3
A8
A8
A8
Page 26
Flyer
Pearson
Ritz
Ritz
Ritz
Ritz
Ritz
Rouse
Rouse
Rouse
Schumacher
Schumacher
Schumacher
Schumacher
Sharp
Sharp
Sharp
Tomeo
Tomeo
Truitt
Utley
Utley
Utley
Vreeland
Vreeland
Vreeland
Vreeland
Weaver
Weaver
Weaver
Williams
Williams
Yslas
10-Jul
Alewine
Alewine
Batenga
Batenga
Bates
Bates
Bates
Betenga
Betenga
Bjorntvedt
Brown
Cann
Cann
Cann
Clarkston
Clarkston
Clarkston
Coakley
Coakley
Cox
Cyrus
Davis
Davis
Davis
Deschenes
Galysh
Galysh
Galysh
Galysh
Giseppe
July / August 2005
Adam
John
John
John
John
John
Becky
Becky
Becky
Josh
Josh
Josh
Josh
Dave
Dave
Dave
Phil
Phil
Norwood
Bob
Bob
Bob
Justin
Justin
Nikki
Ryan
Jacob
Jacob
Jacob
Benjamin
Jim
Emilio
Dave
Ethan
Nikki
Nikki
Ryan
Manufacturer
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
PML
PML
PML
Scratch
PML
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
LOC
Estes
Aerotech
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Model
Star Glider
Static Test
Static Test
Static Test
Static Test
Static Test
Copter
Pip Squeak
Pee Diddy
Over Kill 2
Over Kill 2
Over Kill 2
Over Kill 2
Ju Ju Bee
1/4 Scale Patriot
1/4 Scale Patriot
Amraam 4
Liquid Smoke
Endeavor Cam
Static Test
Static Test
Static Test
Silver Star
Flying Flame
Flamingo
Black Bandit
The Oriole
The Oriole
The Oriole
Alpha Black Knight
Warlock
Black Beauty
Air Spike
Stealth
Express
Texas Rattler
Black Bandit
Dave
Dave
Ernesto
Ernesto
Joshua
Joshua
Joshua
Carlos
Ernesto
Reed
Bill
Bill
Bill
Bill
Kevin
Kevin
Kevin
JJ
JJ
Jim
Tosha
Glenn
Glenn
Glenn
Alex
Ivan
Ivan
Ivan
Ivan
Sean
Scratch
Team America
LOC
Magnum
Aerotech
Initiator
Aerotech
Initiator
Estes
Space Ship One
Estes
Space Ship One
Estes
Space Ship One
Scratch
Neil's Gay
Scratch
Huggin Kiss
Estes
Nova
Scratch
Due For Extinction
PML
Patriot
PML
Honest John
PML
Honest John
Estes
Renegade
Aerotech
Alice
LOC
Glazier 1
Estes
Red Ninja
Estes
Pinky Tinky
Scratch
Mixed Parts
LOC
Forte
Scratch
D.B.N.P.
Scratch
PAC 3
Scratch
Gold Member II
Scratch
Unimatrix Zero
LOC
Forte
LOC
Forte
LOC
Forte
Performance Rocketry
Arcas
LOC
Forte
M.D.R.A. Report
Motors
A8
H120
I200
H120
I200
I200
B4
C6
A3
F20
F20
F20
F20
A8
H144
H144
M1419
K300
K800
K800
K800
D12
D12
D12
C6
B6
A8
A8
A8
I405
D12
F23
C6
D12
C6
B6
Result
ex
ex
ex
ex
ex
H144
*Cert 3*
ex
ex
ex
ex
*Cert 1*
J400
K650
F20
F20
C6
B6
B6
G35
I'll say………
G35
B6
K600
ex
H1125
H123
H73
"C11,C11,C11,E9"
I200
"H275,H275"
D12
B6
I110
H144
Can Sat
I400
ex
K485
ex
K375
ex
"J350,H50"
H144
G35
Can Sat
G35
Can Sat
J317
H144
Can Sat
M.D.R.A. Report
Flyer
Hegner
Hegner
Hegner
Hegner
Hegner
Hegner
Hegner
Hickok
Hickok
Hickok
Hickok
Hickok
Jarkey
Jarkey
Jarkey
Jarkey
Jones
Kelly
Kelly
Khaisman
Khaisman
Khaisman
McBurnett
McGilvray
McKeon
Mikala
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Miller
Moulden
Moulden
Nawrocki
Nawrocki
Nawrocki
Nawrocki
Nawrocki
Nelson
O'Sullivan
Priddy
Rebah
Rebah
Reilly
Ritz
Ritz
Roberts
Roberts
Rosenthal
Rosenthal
Rosenthal
Rudy
Schumacher
Schumacher
Scott
Sechrist
Seldavin
Sethna
Sisk
Sisk
Sisk
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jonathan
Jonathan
Richard
Richard
Richard
Richard
Richard
David
David
David
David
Andy
Katie
Scott &
Carlos
Carlos
Carlos
Mike
Neil
Michael
Ian
Garrett
Garrett
Garrett
Garrett
Miranda
Miranda
Miranda
Miranda
Miranda
Miranda
Paul
Paul
Zack
William
William
Alan
Alan
Alan
Alan
Alan
John
Jerry
Kyle
Cynthia
Chris
John
John
Rob
Rob
Zack
Zack
Zack
Wes
Josh
Josh
Joe
George
Keith
Lienne
Tyler
Tyler
Tyler
July / August 2005
Manufacturer
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
NCR
Scratch
LOC
Scratch
LOC
Estes
LOC
LOC
Scratch
Aerotech
Aerotech
LOC
Scratch
LOC
LOC
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
PML
Scratch
Aerotech
Estes
Estes
Estes
Apogee
Apogee
Apogee
Scratch
Estes
Aerotech
Scratch
Estes
LOC
LOC
Estes
Thoy
Thoy
Scratch
LOC
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
LOC
Aerotech
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Scratch
Model
Chrom Domes
Chrom Domes
Chrom Domes
Chrom Domes
Chrom Domes
None
No Name
GBU-28
La Crosse
Red Eye
Harm
Archer
Aimless Object
Heavy Duty Beauty
Lampshade V2.0
Stovi
Super Bee
Forte
Forte
Strong Arm
Strong Arm
Strong Arm
Barbequed Weasel
Amraam
Magnum
Forte
Night Wing
Cluster Bomb
Silver Comet
Alien U.F.O.
Wacky Wiggler
Snitch
Blue Ninja
Sherbert Explosion
Pharoah Phat Boy
Miranda
Big Daddy
Barracuda
Pencil Rocket
Hawk
Red Bomb
Rising Star
Rising Star
Rising Star
Pinkey
Starchaser
Black Brant
High 5
Bandit 2000
Forte
Forte
Black Magic
Falcon
Iris
In Drag
Lil Nuke
Cruise Missile
V2
"Red, Black & Yellow"
Just Launch the Damn Thing
Over Kill 2
Over Kill 2
Forte
Initiator
None
The Red Manic
Space Patrol Alpha Rocket
Alex I
Space Patrol Rocket
Page 27
Motors
Result
B6
B6
C6
C6
C6
D12
D12
F21
C6
F21
D12
H128
G77
"G79,D11,D11,D11,D11"
G64
G64
B6
H144
Can Sat
H144
Can Sat
F20
F20
F20
F50
J600
ex mm
I161
H144
Can Sat
C6
B6
D12
E9
B6
C6
D12
E9
C6
G80
E9
F50
B6
A8
A8
E30
F20
F20
D12
"C6,C6"
H73
* Cert 1*
K450
ex
A8
H144
Can Sat
H144
Can Sat
D12
J300
J800
ex
J641
ex MM
G150
ex
B6
D12
E9
H244
F20
G35
H144
Can Sat
G35
J300
D12
A8
A8
A8
Page 28
Flyer
Sisk
Smith
Smith
Smith
Sorci
Sorci
Sorci
Sorrentino
Sorrentino
Stafford
Stafford
Stafford
Stafford
Stafford
Strehl
Strehl
Wallace
Wallace
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Wiater
Williams
Williams
Wisda
Yslas
Yslas
Yslas
Yslas
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
July / August 2005
Tyler
David
David
David
Ross
Ross
Ross
Joe
Joe
Dick
Dick
Dick
Dick
Richard
Bill
Bill
Fred
Nelson
Dennis
Dennis
Eric
Eric
Eric
Eric
Eric
Eric
Tyler
Tyler
Tyler
Tyler
Tyler
Jim
David
Emilio
Emilio
Ricky
Susan
Kyle
22
18
31
41
18
28
21
31
13
11
12
0
1
0
0
0
247 TOTAL MOTORS
Manufacturer
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
PML
Scratch
Scratch
Launch Pad
LOC
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
PML
Giant Leap
Scratch
PML
Estes
PML
Quest
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
LOC
Estes
LOC
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Model
Space Patrol Rocket 4
Rhap-Viking
Rhap-Viking
Echo-Alpha
Black Brant
AQM-37
Caliver +
Phoenix
Loc Aura
Great Googly-Moogly
Vlad The Impaler
Birdhouse Version 2
Hat of Death
Birdhouse VI
Rubicon
Sky Writer
Military Justus
SR71 Black Bird
Amraam 3
Talon
Harpoon
Amraam 2
Fat Boy
Explorer
Harpoon
Blue Ninja
Storm Caster
Stormcaster
Blue Ninja
Strom Caster
Blue Ninja
Warlock
Comst
Forte
Green Machine
Red Head
Apollo 13
Mean Steak
Bandit 2000
55
90
310
820
720
2240
3360
9920
8320
14080
30720
0
10240
0
0
0
80875 NEWTON/SECONDS
M.D.R.A. Report
Motors
Result
A8
E9
E9
E9
G80
H144
thanks Ross
I405
G64
F40
J1001
G111
"D12,D12,D12,D12,D12,D12"
D9
F52
D12
B4
J528
J228
MM
H242
* Cert 1*
H242
D12
G104
C6
G40
E9
D12
D12
D12
D12
D12
D12
I405
* Cert1*
A8
H144
Can Sat
A8
A8
B6
D12
A6
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
Alien
Atlantic
Aerotech
Apogee
Art Applewhite
Binder
BSD
Centuri
Cluster R
Custom Rockets
Cosmo Drome Rocketry
Dynacom
Edmonds
Estes
Fliskits
Giant Leap
Hawk Mountain
High Flight Tech
Hobby Lab
Impulse Aero
JD Cluster
LOC
Launch Pad
Missile Works
MSH
NCR
Newton 3rd
Neubauer
PML
Performance Rocketry
Pratt Hobbies
Pole Cat
Public Enemy
Quest
Rocketman
Rocket R&D
Rocket Teck
Rogue Aero
Rocket Vision
TCB
Thoy
True Modeler
Scratch
Shrox
Skunk Works
Smokin Rockets
V.B.
Unknown
US Rockets
Vertical Concepts
Weber Eng.
Yankee
Yo-Yo Dyne
0
0
12
4
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
80
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
22
1
0
0
2
0
0
17
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
99
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Page 29
©N. Truitt 2005
Sod Farm from 200 feet in a rocket
243
TOTAL ROCKETS
Motor Usage
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
41
31
31
28
22
18
21
18
13
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
11
12
J
K
Motor Size
0
L
1
M
0
N
0
O
0
P
Page 30
July / August 2005
M.D.R.A. Report
Log August 6-7, 2005 ESL #88
Flyer
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Andraka
Brown
Brown
Brown
Brown
Coker
Coker
Cox
Davis
Davis
Davis
Davis
Follweiler
Follweiler
Freimeyer
Freimeyer
Galasso
Galasso
Galasso
Hickok
Hickok
Hickok
Hickok
Kowal
Kowal
Kowal
Lee
Lee
Lee
Lee
Lee
Lee
Mangieri
Mangieri
Mangieri
Mangieri
Diane
Diane
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nick
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Nicole
Sean
Zack
Zack
Zack
Zack
Zack
Zack
Zack
Zack
Bill
Don
Don
Don
Lisa
Lisa
Jim/ Chris
Glenn
Glenn
Glenn
Glenn
Ron
Ron
Robert
Robert
Peter
Peter
Peter
Richard
Richard
Richard
Richard
John
John
John
Jessica
Jessica
Jessica
Jessica
Jessica
Jessica
Michael
Michael
Michael
Michael
Manufacturer
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
LOC
Edmonds
Aerotech
Estes
Estes
PML
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Art Applewhite
LOC
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
LOC
Scratch
PML
Scratch
Model
Rainbow Rocket
The Dew
Old Yellow
Old Glory
Red Barron
Red Max
Ole Yellow
Orange Crush
Pumpkin
Big Pink
Dream Sickle
Old Glory
Pitts Special
Red Max
Pitts Special
Pink Barron
Pink Barron
Bule Saser
Pink Barron
Pumpkin
No Name
Flat Black and Flouresant
Pitts Special
Pink Barron
Red Barron
Do the Dew
Green Glider
Green Machine
Green Machine
Orange Space Ship
Club Rocket
Green Machine
Meenie Greenie
Due for Extinction
V2
Ecee Thunder
Arcas
Storm Caster
Blackie
Hrielit
Gold Member II
Twirl-N-Ater
Mach This
Twirl-E-Ator
SB One
SB One
18mm Saucer
Gold Saucer
Onyx
Executioner
Big Daddy
Red Eye
A-10 Warthog
A-10 Warthog
Harm
Yellow Jacket
Yellow Jacket
Yellow Jacket
Navy
Hot Pinky
Flash
Tuber
Pinky
No Name
Black Brant X
Z7
Ariel
Scorpion
Motors
Result
A8
B6
A10
C6
A8
E18
A10
C6
B6
D12
A8
B6
C6
D9
C6
A8
A8
A8
A8
A8
C6
A8
C6
A8
A8
C6
A8
D12
D9
A10
D12
D12
A8
K600
ex
I218
E9
G35
D12
D12
I405
K375
ex
F20
H220
ex MM *Winner*
E18
F52
G79
D13
H123
*Cert 1*
F12
E9
E9
F21
B4
B4
D12
E9
E9
D12
D12
B6
C6
D12
D12
D12
F40
"D12,C11"
H123
*Cert 1*
D12
M.D.R.A. Report
Flyer
McGilvray
Neil
Ritz
John
Ritz
John
Roberts
Rob
Roberts
Rob
Roberts
Rob
Rudy
Chuck
Sharp
David
Wadsley
Brian
Wallace
Nelson
Wallace
Nelson
Weber
David
Weber/Reamy
Dave/Lynn
Williams
Jim
Willis
Gerry
Willis
T.J.
Willis
T.J.
Woods
Steve
Woods
Steve
Woods
Steve
Woods
Steve
Woods
Nate
7-Aug
Brown
Rick
Cann
Bill
Clarkston
Kevin
Clarkston
Kevin
Coker
Lisa
Coker/Galasso
Lisa/Pete
Coleman
Glen
Cox
Jim
Davis
Glenn
Davis
Glenn
Davis
Glenn
deBey
Mike
deBey
Nick
deBey
Nick
deBey
Nick
deBey
Nick
deBey
Nick
deBey
Zack
deBey
Zack
deBey
Zack
Deschenes
Alex
Galasso
Peter
Galasso
Peter
Galasso
Peter
Galasso
Peter
Gilliand
Kathy
Gilliand
Kathy
Harrison
Todd
Jarkey
David
Jarkey
David
Jarkey
David
M
Tommy
McBurnett
Mike
Oleszevsky
Wes
Oleszevsky
Wes
Oleszevsky
Wes
O'Sullivan
Jerry
O'Sullivan/Schworer Jerry/Bill
Ritz
John
Russell
Ben
Schumacher
Fred
Sinclair
Charles
Sinclair
Charles
Sinclair
Nick
Sindsiz
Nick
July / August 2005
Manufacturer
Scratch
Thoy
Thoy
LOC
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
Scratch
PML
LOC
LOC
Weber Eng.
LOC
LOC
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Model
Amraam
Falcon
Falcon
Un-EZ-I
In Drag
In Drag
Monocopter
Jutubee
Small Endevor
Bruser XP
Endeavor
Toober
Hail To the Skins
Warlock
Max Trax
Ninja
Ninja
America Flyer
Shink
Black Bird
America Flyer
Rock ON
Scratch
Am-oops
Public Enemy
Honest John
Aerotech
Alice
Scratch
Alice
LOC
Want Fries With That
LOC
Want Fries With That
Estes
Sky Winder
PML
IO
Scratch
Gold Member II
Scratch
DBNP
Scratch
DBNP
Scratch
Big Ugly
Scratch
Explorer Jr
Estes
Big Dart
Estes
Big Dart
Estes
Razor
Estes
Razor
Estes
Shuttle Express
Estes
Dart
Estes
Big Dart
Scratch
Clown of Fear
LOC
Pit Bull
LOC
Onyx
PML
Tomahawk
Estes
Executioner
Estes
Pink Comet
Estes
Hot Flush
Scratch
6' Little John
Aerotech
Arreaux
Scratch
No Name Yet
Estes
Good Enough
Estes
Mickey Mouse
LOC
Onyx 3
Scratch
The Stick SOLV
Scratch
Space Shuttle
Scratch
SA I
Scratch
Terrier-Smoke
Performance Rocketry
Concept 98
Scratch
Minnie KC
PML
Endeavor
Yo-Yo
Nasty Habit
Scratch
Scorpion
Estes
SR 71 Blackbird
Estes
Lil Nuke
Estes
Camche
Page 31
Motors
J650
K530
K500
I160
J400
I490
G10
A8
H50
K1000
H144
H128
H148
J 528
C6
E9
E9
B6
C6
D12
B6
C6
Result
ex MM
ex
ex
ex MM
ex MM
ex
CO2 boost
#193
*Cert 2*
H242
H73
I200
I200
G79
H180
C6
G79
K5325
ex
I400
ex
J454
ex
J600
ex
B6
C6
C6
A8
A8
C6
B6
C6
J820
H180
G79
H180
D24
D12
A8
L1000
G64
"D11,D11,G35"
D13
B6
"D12,D12,D12"
C6
C6
E9
L1200
ex
K700
ex
I300
ex
J250
K800
ex MM
F24
F24
E23
"D12,C6"
Page 32
Flyer
Sorci
Tyrrell
Tyrrell
Tyrrell
Tyrrell
Tyrrell
Utley
Vreeland
Vreeland
Vreeland
Vreeland
Vreeland
Vreeland
Weber
Wheeler
Wheeler
Wheeler
Wheeler
Wheeler
Williams
Woods
Woods
Woods
Woods
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
July / August 2005
Manufacturer
Scratch
LOC
Cluster R
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Estes
Weber Eng.
Estes
Scratch
Edmonds
V.B.
Estes
LOC
Estes
Estes
Scratch
Estes
Estes
Estes
Ross
Scott
Scott
Scott
Scott
Scott
Bob
Justin
Justin
Justin
Nick
Nick
Ryan
David
Bob
Mo
Sheehan
Sheehan
Sheehan
Jim
Nate
Nate
Steve
Steve
Rachel
Sack
21
13
33
26
12
8
10
14
9
8
9
2
0
0
0
0
165
M.D.R.A. Report
Model
Motors
Result
AQM-37 Jayhawk
H144
Blow By
F50
Standard Arm
I400
Shred-A-Roc
G100
Beater
H210
Sky Winder
D12
Sandhawk
K800
ex MM
Blue Ninja
C11
Blue Ninja
C11
Tidal Wave
C6
Shiro
C11
Comic Cobra
C6
Blue Furry
C6
Toober
G75
#194
Big Daddy
E6
Shroom
C6
Deltie Airshow
B4
Little Wild Thing
"C6,A10,A10,A10,A10,A10,A10,A10"
Geminee Thunder
D12
Warlock
J350
*Cert 2*
Rock ON
C6
Rock ON
C6
Shiny
C6
The Orange Dot
C6
Minnie Mouse
B6
Dart
C6
52.5
65
330
520
480
640
1600
4480
5760
10240
23040
10240
0
0
0
0
TOTAL MOTORS
57447.5 NEWTON/SECONDS
Motor Usage
35
33
30
26
25
20
21
15
13
14
12
10
8
10
9
8
9
5
2
0
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
Motor Size
K
L
0
M
0 0
N O
0
P
M.D.R.A. Report
Alien
Atlantic
Aerotech
Apogee
Art Applewhite
Binder
BSD
Centuri
Cluster R
Custom Rockets
Cosmo Drome Rocketry
Dynacom
Edmonds
Estes
Fliskits
Giant Leap
Hawk Mountain
High Flight Tech
Hobby Lab
Impulse Aero
JD Cluster
LOC
Launch Pad
Missile Works
MSH
NCR
Newton 3rd
Neubauer
PML
Performance Rocketry
Pratt Hobbies
Pole Cat
Public Enemy
Quest
Rocketman
Rocket R&D
Rocket Teck
Rogue Aero
Rocket Vision
TCB
Thoy
True Modeler
Scratch
Shrox
Skunk Works
Smokin Rockets
V.B.
Unknown
US Rockets
Vertical Concepts
Weber Eng.
Yankee
Yo-Yo Dyne
July / August 2005
0
0
3
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
79
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
46
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
1
161
Page 33
©P. Tomeo 2005
Is that a 7 up?
TOTAL ROCKETS
Space Facts:
The VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) at Kennedy Space Center is designed to withstand winds up to 125
mph. Therefore it’s safe around Neil.
Last Page Funny
Space Facts:
The VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) at Kennedy Space Center is designed to withstand winds up to 125
mph. Therefore it’s safe around Neil.
Page 34
July / August 2005
M.D.R.A. Report
Space Facts:
Luna 15 crashed into the moon 500 miles from and two hours before Apollo 11 (Eagle) liftoff from the moon.
I wonder if they felt the impact?
Last Page Funny
Dave Weber’s installed the latest in home security systems……………..
Notice both the ISS and Shuttle was over the Playboy Ranch see the bunny head.
M.D.R.A. Report
July / August 2005
Venders that support MDRA and Mach Madness.
Page 35